Red Ruby
by sesshomarusmidnightlover
Summary: The King gets to meet a rather unique woman with fiery red hair and a personality to match. Set in the historical times.
1. Chapter 1

"Your Majesty, welcome to our home. Please, let me introduce my wife, Lilibeth, and my daughter Kallen." The Earl of Wiltshire beamed at the King as he introduced his family.

"Ah, Lady Lilibeth, its been a long time. How have you been?" The King said, bringing his hands up for Lilibeth to kiss in greeting.

Gripping his hands, she dipped into a low curtsy before pressing her small lips against his knuckles. "I've been very well, your majesty. Thank you for remembering me, and for gracing our humble home with your presence."

The king slowly pulled his hands away, his smile never wavering. "That's great to hear. But we must thank you for allowing us this visit. Your home is lovely. Miss Stadfeld, I do believe this is our first meeting. How do you do?" The king turned his attention to the red-headed beauty standing behind her mother.

Her head was tilted down already in a demure fashion and she bowed low. "Pleased to meet you, your Highness." Her voice was soft and delicate.

Raising his hands for her to kiss, he watched carefully for a glimpse of her face.

She rose, and took hold of his hands with her small ones before bringing her mouth down to ghost over his knuckles before pulling away abruptly. She turned her face then, a light blush staining her cheeks completely at odds with the rather pissed off look she bore. Her amazing blue eyes were focused hard on something in the distance, her lips pursed.

Before he could comment or her mother could scold her, the Earl pulled his attention away and the King was forced to follow as the Earl began a tour of the large and spacious grounds of his estate.

The king was half listening, his thoughtsstill on the beauty that he had just met. Glancing back, he saw her walking away, head held high as her mother followed along behind her in an aggravated pace. She looked back as if sensing his gaze on her.

Appearing to snort, she turned her head quickly and walked faster.

The King smiled. 

* * *

><p>AN: I've absolutely got no business writing a new story, I know. It's just a guilty pleasure. Code Geass is my absolute favorite at this point. I have an entire folder dedicated to CG with half written ideas and one-shots, and full stories.

This particular piece is actually a part of a bigger story I am trying (failing) to writing at the moment. I chose to upload this separately because I'm not sure its going to make it into the story, so I decided to make it an entirely separate thing. This is expected to be short, with only a few chapters.

This piece is set in old England, with the rest of my main story. I hope to have the first chapter out by the end of the month, or at least, I hope so.

Sorry for the ridiculously long a/n. Let me know if I should finish up this little Kalulu fic.

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass.


	2. Chapter 2

"I can't believe you acted like that with the King. The King, Kallen. He can have our named reduced to nothing in an instant and you decided to act snotty and spoiled." Lady Lilibeth cried angrily, watching as her step-daughter sat looking uninterestedly out the window.

"I don't agree. I think I acted pretty well. I could have just spat at his feet or slapped his hands away." Kallen said, crossing her arms.

The lady Lilibeth turned white at the thought. "Oh sweet lord. If you so much as think about doing such things, I will have you locked in the cellar for the rest of your life, do you understand Kallen. This is a great opportunity for this family, and I'm not going to let you ruin this for me. Step another foot out of line, and I'll make sure you never see your brother again." Lady Lilibeth walked out of the room then, her threat still hanging in the air.

Kallen glared at her step-mother's retreating back, before walking to the large window and slamming her fists into the wall. Her step-mother had a way of infuriating her like no one else could.

Her maid walked in then, with a quiet request to follow her to her rooms. Kallen took a moment to composed herself before following her maid to her rooms.

Kallen remained silent as the maid worked on ridding her of the ridiculous brown dress and too tight corset before pulling on a slightly looser dark blue riding dress.

An hour after they had begun, Kallen's maid pulled away, allowing her to view herself in the mirror.

The dress was stunning, Kallen had to admit. It was a traditional riding dress, the gown wasn't as full in skirt and the corset wasn't as restricting. The fabric was made of sturdier material, but still looked as soft as silk. The dark blue color really made her eyes pop.

Her fiery red hair was mostly hidden beneath the matching blue and white hat. Smoothing her gloved hands down the high collar of the gown, she sighed before gesturing for her maid to lead her down to the stables.

Her one quiet place to relax had been turned into a loud mess as the king's entourage scrambled about, preparing for the hunt. She greeted her stable hand before walking to find her horse, a beautiful brown-haired mare.

"Hello darling. I've miss you." Kallen cooed, petting the large animal on the snout.

"Miss, the king is ready, will you follow me out?" The stable hand said.

"I'm coming." Kallen said, pulling her horse along behind her.

Kallen resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she took in the scene. The King was standing far away from a large, impressively agitated black stallion. A nervous stable hand was as far away as possible, holding the reins of the impressive animal.

The king himself looked ridiculous. The sleeves of his tunic were large and puffed out, and his hat was large as well. It would be a miracle if the boy could ride. He appeared dressed to attend a dinner, not a hunt.

Kallen watched interestedly as the King approached his stallion, waiting to see the horse trample him. The horse did no such thing. It calmed as the King approached it and nuzzled into the kings hand as he petted its long snout. The nervous stable hand looked relieved as he walked away before returning with a stepping ladder for the king.

The King mounted his stallion then, looking confident and regal, exactly the opposite of what Kallen had expected of him.

The king's gaze locked with hers and Kallen froze.

His amethyst eyes were beautiful and vivid, even from the distance. He had a small smile on his face as he watched her approach.

"Ah, Miss Stadfeld, what a pleasant surprise. You will be joining us this evening?" He said, bringing his horse closer to her.

Her mare shifted behind her. "Yes. If that pleases you?" Kallen said, bowing.

"Who will you be riding with?"

"Myself."

"Alone?" The king asked, a bemused expression on his face.

"Of course. I am adapt to riding alone." Kallen replied curtly.

"We see. We will enjoy this hunt." The king nodded his head in dismal before trotting down to her father.

The stable hand came then with a step ladder, and she mounted. Immediately she began adjusting so that she wouldn't fall off. What she wouldn't give to be in pants and boots instead of the ridiculous riding gown and booted heels. But to have refused the gown would have given her step-mother a heart attack.

Shifting one last time, she followed the king and his entourage as they left for the hunt.

She rode far enough away so that he couldn't see her unless he turned around, but close enough to be within talking distance.

Watching as his figure bounced along in front of her, she missed the look one of the king's gentlemen sent her way.

The King was an admittedly handsome man.

Kallen scowled.

* * *

><p>AN: chapter two. Haha. I had this short story going in an entirely different direction, but, I guess this is what happens when you watch 'The Other Boleyn Girl'. I just had to write something similar, it just fit so well into my story. I thought it went pretty good.

Also, this chapter was uploaded so quickly because, when I went back and read the first 'chapter'. I said, "Damn, this is much too short, even for a drabble." So I took the liberty of typing this up. I've no plans to make these more then 5 pages long each, so, please bare with me, they will be short. Because of their lengths, I will update faster. R&R :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass.


	3. Chapter 3

Jeremiah was never one to pry. He was a loyal knight. He knew his place, and that place was beside the king.

But in such cases, he felt the need to intervene.

The fiery red headed Lady Stadfeld was an amusing creature, as everyone who came into contact with her noted, himself and his king included.

So Jeremiah went out of his way to arrange for the girl to sit beside his king for dinner, while he himself sat a few chairs away, watching the pair interact.

He was not disappointed. Whilst his King entertained his surrounding group, the girl tried extremely hard to ignore him, choosing instead to stab delicately at her food, an unhappy look upon her pretty face.

The girl's mother sent sharp glances at her daughter repeatedly, growing more and more mortified as the girl began to slouch ,watching as her daughter's carefully guarded expression turned into one of open boredom.

Jeremiah resisted the urge to laugh. Because only her mother and himself had been watching her so closely, only they had noticed the changes in the girl. The others remained oblivious. Including his King, Jeremiah noted with amusement.

It seemed the King was being equally stubborn as she, if not more so. He was in deep discussion with the Earl about something, and he did not once include the girl in the conversation.

He did however, glance at her ever so often as subtly as he could whenever he took a drink.

The king spoke with everyone but the annoyed girl to his left, until finally, his king had no choice but to include the girl or else make it seem as though he was shunning her.

Although Jeremiah could not hear much over the sounds of the large hall eating and talking, he could make out a few words if he strained.

". . .delicious dinner . . .enjoy . . . . hunt today. . .gown. . .yes?" His king had a pleasant look on his face, one he used when entertaining guests he wanted to keep relaxed.

The girl, for her part, looked like she was trying to keep a demure, interested look on her face, but to Jeremiah, was failing.

Her voice, he couldn't hear at all. His king apparently, had a time hearing her too, so he lead closer to her, his face staring down at the table for modesty, therefore failing to notice the blush that colored her cheeks as she spoke.

Jeremiah glanced at the girls mother, noting the way she watched her like a hawk, her own food forgotten.

"Lord Jeremiah, is something the matter?"

Jeremiah startled, before turning to look at the young man beside him.

"No, nothing at all. Just observing an interesting case of attraction." 

* * *

><p>AN: chapter three. I had this chapter going in another direction, but darn it my hands just wouldn't type the words I wanted. So this ended up being a short perspective from our ever loyal knight Jeremiah. I originally had Jeremiah acting suspicious of Kallen and her intentions for Lelouch, but, that obviously didn't happen. Oh well. R&R

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass


	4. Chapter 4

The Earl had outdone himself, he really had. The large estate had been filled with hundreds of people.

The show in front of him was interesting, but he couldn't seem to enjoy it. His attention was drawn to the girl sitting far away from his seat in the middle of the room.

The lady Stadfeld wasn't causing a scene. She wasn't drawing attention, but he found himself watching her more then the play before him.

Leaning to his left, he lowered his voice so that only his Knight could hear him. "Does Miss Stadfeld look alright to you?"

Jeremiah, who had been enjoying the play, turned his attention to the girl in question. She appeared alright to him, albeit a bit bored.

"I believe she is fine, your Majesty. Would you like for me to inquire?" Jeremiah said.

"Hm, no. Let it be. I will wait until after the play."

"Would you like for me to send for her to attend to your chambers this night?" Jeremiah asked quietly.

His king turned a slight shade of red, glancing sharply at his knight, before unwillingly turning eyes to the girl.

"No. I have a distinct feeling I am not in the lady's good graces. I should like to speak with her, in the library. Arrange for it to be so." Turning his attention back to the play, the King forced his attention back onto the actors.

Only occasionally did he glance at the girl.

* * *

><p>Jeremiah remained beside the door frame even after he had been dismissed, listening in as Lady Lilibeth spoke curtly with her daughter.<p>

"Kallen, what is wrong with you? The King is asking for an audience with you, what makes you think you can refuse?"

"Because I don't want to speak with him. What would we talk about? Money, war, court? I have no interest in these things, and you did tell me that its better to not speak about things we don't enjoy." Kallen refused to look at her mother.

"I don't care if you have to talk about dirt, you will go meet the king before he becomes angry. What have you got against him anyways? He's a handsome boy, not too many years your senior. He's been nothing but charming and polite. What is it? You've been sour since we learned he would visit us."

Jeremiah's ears perked then, and he pressed closer to the door.

"I have not been sour."

"No, you're right, you're always sour, but its usually directed at me, not the King."

Kallen scoffed. "I don't mind the king. I just hate what he represents."

"Kallen, speak carefully."

"It's true though. Look at what he's done to our home. It's become a circus. We spent hundreds of pounds and hired dozens of people to pamper a king instead of doing something productive for the people. We could feed 10 villages for a week with the money spent on one man we don't even know."

"The King is worth thousands of people Kallen. How dare you. He is our sovereign. He can have us sent to the tower. If he heard you speak, I can't imagine what he'd do. I can't believe you're being so petty. Getting angry with the king because of such trivial matters." Lady Lilibeth rubbed her temple as she spoke.

Kallen's fist clenched and unclenched as she watched her mother devalue her concerns.

"That's what you think." Kallen said.

Lady Lilibeth raised a hand, silencing her daughter.

"Enough. I've heard enough. Go with your maid to meet the king. You will be civil, you will be attentive, you will be charming, and you will get the kings approval. The king is unmarried, and you are without an intended."

Kallen's eyes widened. "You can't be serious."

"Ah my dear, but she is. I'm worried for you Kallen. I have been very patient with you. You are getting closer to the unmarriageable age. I have entertained your wishes for the last few years, but its been too long. We must find you a husband. I would think the king would be your first choice. If you don't capture his attention, I will marry you off to the Earl of Nottingham. It is your choice." Kallen's father entered the room for a different set of doors, his voice grim.

Kallen paled. "Father please."

"No Kallen. It will be the King or the earl."

"Why can't I have a say in this?"

"Because Kallen, you've had long enough. You have rejected many possible suitors, and frankly, you are starting to disgrace this family. All our friends have been talking. Many of my friends have grandchildren now. And what do we have? A daughter with no intention of marrying. I think you've embarrassed us enough." Lady Lilibeth said, before turning and calling for a maid.

"Go now dear. Be the charming girl I know you to be." The Earl said, an encouraging smile on his face.

Kallen bowed. "Yes father."

Following the maid out the door, Kallen felt betrayed.

Jeremiah slipped away silently and hurried to his king before the girl could arrive.

* * *

><p>AN: chapter four. We get a glimpse into why Kallen hates our dear King Lulu. And how much her stepmother dislikes her. Oh, and if Kallen seems too easily complacent, well, I have a reason why. Up until the 1900's, women didn't have much of a say in anything. In the 1400-1500 century of kings, women's role was to married off to a man either old enough to be your grandfather or young enough to be your son, all for the sake of family name and status, and wealth. It was a woman's duty to produce a male heir, and that was pretty much it.

R&R

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass


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